Silver coated gold nanocolloids entrapped in organized Langmuir–Blodgett Film of stearic acid: Potential evidence of a new SERS active substrate

SERS active substrate containing silver coated gold (Au@Ag) nanocolloids entrapped in the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) film matrix of stearic acid (SA) has been reported. The SERS efficacy of the as prepared substrate has been tested with trace concentrations of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) molecules. Enhancement factors ranging from 104–1013 orders of magnitude have been estimated for the characteristic vibrational signatures of R6G molecule. The colossal enhancement factors also signify the superiority of the as prepared substrate in comparison to Au@Ag nanocolloids. The optical responses and the morphological features of the substrates are estimated with aid of UV–vis absorption spectra and FESEM, AFM images respectively. Correlations between the surface morphologies, fractal dimensions and roughness features of the as prepared substrates are also drawn. The electric field distributions around the aggregated nanocolloids entrapped in the SA matrix have been envisaged with the aid of three dimensional finite difference time domain (3D-FDTD) simulations. Tuning the interparticle localized surface plasmon (LSP) coupling between the aggregated nanocolloids may be achieved by lifting the LB film of SA at different surface pressures.